to  tf)c  Oli)  Church: 


'  Cf)arles  ^tel3le.  • 


fc  '2.3.  :l 


LIBRARY  OF  THE  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY 

PRINCETON,     N.    J. 

Presented  by 

The  V/icAovv-  o-f  Greor<^aTiuA<g'<^n,   ^& 

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The  call  ox 
the  old  church 


The  Call  of  the  New  Day 
To  the  Old  Church 


By   CHARLES    STELZLE 

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The  Call  of  the  New  Day 
To  the  Old  Church 


CHARLES  STELZLE 

Author  of**The  Gospel  of  Labor y^^  "American 
Social  and  Religious  Conditions  y'*  **  Chris- 
tianity s  Storm   Centre t^  etc.,  etc. 


New  York  Chicago  Toronto 

Fleming  H.   Revell    Company 
London  and  Edinburgh 


Copyright,  1915,  by 
FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY 


New  York:  158  Fifth  Avenue 
Chicago:  125  North  Wabash  Ave. 
Toronto:  25  Richmond  Street,  W. 
London:  21  Paternoster  Square 
Edinburgh:       100    Princes    Street 


Author's  Preface 

KEEN  observers  of  the  trend  of  things 
tell  us  that  the  signs  point  towards 
a  "  revival  of  religion."  Men  are  in- 
terested in  religious  themes,  but  it  is  clearly 
manifest  that  the  subjects  discussed  and  the 
books  being  read  regarding  religion  are  very 
different  from  the  purely  devotional  subjects 
which  interested  them  a  decade  ago.  They 
are  just  as  devoted  as  were  those  of  an  earlier 
day,  but  the  expression  of  their  devotion  has 
changed.  Men  in  the  street,  in  hotel  lobbies, 
in  trains,  in  the  shops  and  stores  are  talking 
about  the  vital  problems  of  the  day  in  the  terms 
of  religion.  It  would  be  a  mistake  for  the 
Church  to  insist  that  they  shall  use  the  termi- 
nology which  served  its  purpose  for  another 
generation,  and  that  they  must  have  the  same 
kind  of  spiritual  experiences.  The  men  of 
to-day  must  be  permitted  to  express  their  re- 
ligious aspirations  in  their  own  way.  They 
will  do  so  anyway.  It  is  simply  a  question 
whether  the  Church  will  be  broad  enough  to 
accept  these  thoroughly  consecrated  Chris- 

5 


6  Author's  Preface 

tian  men,  or  whether  they  shall  feel  compelled 
to  seek  a  home  elsewhere. 

While  it  would  be  unfortunate  for  the 
Church  were  it  to  fail  at  this  critical  period  in 
its  history,  it  would  be  equally  disastrous  for 
those  who  are  impatient  for  progress  were  they 
to  leave  the  Church  at  this  stage.  There  is  no 
doubt  that  those  who  would  accomplish  the 
biggest  things  in  behalf  of  the  people  can 
best  do  them  through  the  Church,  even 
though  they  may  just  now  be  forced  to  fight 
an  array  of  conservatism  which  at  times 
seems  appalling.  The  same  reactionaries 
are  to  be  found  in  other  organizations  and 
institutions.  The  democratic  form  of  gov- 
ernment within  the  Church  makes  it  easier  to 
fight  them  here  than  anywhere  else. 

Charles  Stelzle. 


Contents 

I.  The    Changing    Emphasis    of  the 

Gospel 9 

II.  Elements  Affecting  the  Church's 

Growth i8 

III.  Social  Problems  Confronting  the 

Church     ....  26 

IV.  The    Imperative    Call    to    the 

Church 36 


THE  CHANGING  EMPHASIS  OF  THE 
GOSPEL 

EACH  new  situation  in  the  history  of 
the  Church  demanded  a  strong  em- 
phasis upon  some  forgotten  or  neg- 
lected truth  contained  in  the  old  gospel. 
When  the  Church  hid  the  doctrine  of  **  Justi- 
fication by  faith,"  Martin  Luther  was  raised 
up  to  become  the  prophet  of  his  day,  declar- 
ing with  defiance  that  "  the  just  shall  live  by 
faith."  Later,  John  Calvin  proclaimed  the 
illuminating  truth  of  **the  sovereignty  of 
God."  But  the  pendulum  soon  swung  so  far 
to  one  side  that  it  required  John  Wesley  to 
emphasize  the  doctrine  of  "  the  free  will  of 
man,"  in  order  to  balance  the  movement  of 
the  Church.  Then,  when  men  seemed  again 
to  forget  the  Almighty,  Charles  G.  Finney 
thundered  out  **  The  law  of  God,"  and  they 
fell  upon  their  faces  and,  dry-eyed,  cried  out 
for  mercy.  The  last  great  period  in  the 
progress  of  the  Church  came  when  D wight 
L.  Moody,  with  tears  streaming  down  his 
cheeks,    pled    "the    love  of    God,"   lifting 

9 


10  The  Call  of  the  New  Day 

thousands  into  the  Kingdom  and  setting  in 
motion  countless  movements  for  bettering  the 
world. 

It  will  be  noted  that  in  every  case  when  re- 
form came  to  the  Church,  it  proceeded  from 
within,  not  from  without.  The  gospel  of 
Jesus  is  big  enough  and  broad  enough  to 
meet  every  requirement.  When  men  set 
themselves  in  opposition  to  revealed  truth, 
progress  may  be  retarded,  but  it  is  never 
halted.  But  the  pathetic  fact  remains  that, 
when  men  of  God  appeared  in  every  period 
of  the  Church's  progress,  they  met  their 
greatest  opposition,  not  from  those  outside 
the  Church,  but  from  those  within.  Jesus 
accused  the  Jews  of  His  day  of  always  hav- 
ing stoned  the  prophets  which  were  sent  unto 
them.  Paul  summed  up  his  opinion  of  the 
people  to  whom  these  messengers  of  the  Al- 
mighty were  sent  when  he  declared  that  the 
world  was  not  worthy  of  them.  Luther, 
WycklifEe,  Knox,  Savonarola,  and  a  long 
list  of  others  of  more  modern  times,  were 
compelled  to  withstand  the  opposition  of 
those  whose  comprehension  of  the  signifi- 
cance of  the  Kingdom  of  God  was  exceed- 
ingly narrow.  Often,  as  somebody  has  said, 
these  saints  were  first  ostracized,  and  then 
canonized. 


To  the  Old  Church  1 1 

God  seems  to  have  been  compelled  at 
various  times  to  rebuke  the  dominant  Church 
by  organizing  another  in  order  to  carry  out 
His  plan  for  the  redemption  of  the  world. 
When  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  ap- 
peared to  fail  in  its  great  opportunity,  He 
gave  the  world  John  Wesley,  who  organized 
what  afterwards  became  known  as  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church.  When  the  latter 
Church  lost  its  grip  upon  the  masses,  William 
Booth  came  out  and  established  the  Salvation 
Army.  And,  to-day,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that 
the  Salvation  Army  disregards  all  of  the 
sacraments  and  many  other  things  which  the 
Church  counts  sacred,  who  will  dare  say  that 
the  Salvation  Army  is  not  of  God  ? 

When  any  church  gets  to  the  point  where 
it  believes  that  it  has  a  monopoly  of  all  the 
truth  or  all  the  Christianity  in  the  world,  it  has 
reached  a  perilous  period  in  its  history.  The 
Jews  were  extremely  proud  of  their  heritage, 
but  Jesus  reminded  them  that  God  could  "raise 
up  from  these  stones  children  unto  Abraham." 
It  required  a  distinct  revelation  from  heaven 
to  convince  even  large-hearted  Peter  that 
"  God  is  no  respecter  of  persons,  but  he  that 
feareth  Him,  and  worketh  righteousness,  is 
accepted  with  Him." 

Let  us  not  forget  that  even  at  best  the 


12  The  Call  of  the  New  Day 

world  makes  progress  only  through  vicarious 
sacrifice.  Life  is  continuous  only  as  it  adapts 
itself  to  changing  environment.  To  hold 
steadily  and  defiantly  to  the  old  order  as  the 
new  surrounds  us  is  fatal  in  every  sphere. 
The  Church  is  governed  by  the  same  prin- 
ciples of  growth  which  apply  everywhere 
else. 

Some  time  ago  the  editorial  staff  of  a  well- 
known  magazine  seriously  discussed  the 
question,  "  Is  there  any  further  need  for  the 
Church  ?  "  Practically  every  man  who  partic- 
ipated in  this  conference  was  a  churchman. 
Some  of  them  had  given  a  good  part  of  their 
lives  to  its  work.  But  they  felt  that  the 
Church  had  arrived  at  a  very  critical  period 
in  its  history.  It  was  a  question  whether  the 
Church  was  equal  to  the  modern  situation. 

While  the  Church  has  undoubtedly  fur- 
nished the  original  inspiration  for  most  of  the 
Christian  activities  of  the  present  day,  these 
activities  are  no  longer  confined  to  the 
Church,  and  the  organizations  which  are 
carrying  them  on  have  needlessly  become 
rivals  of  the  Church.  These  "  rivals "  are 
actually  disinherited  children  of  the  Church. 
Or  else  the  Church  does  not  know  her  own 
children.  The  very  principles  advocated  by 
the  Church  have  been  given  such  wide  applica- 


To  the  Old  Church  13 

tion  that  the  Church  itself  has  become 
startled  by  their  significance,  and  often  it  has 
apologized  for  them,  or  repudiated  them  al- 
together, with  the  statement  that  the  Church 
has  nothing  to  do  with  such  matters. 

As  Bishop  Charles  D.  Williams  says  :  "  The 
Church  does  not  recognize  these  movements 
as  essentially  religious.  They  seem  to  her 
secular,  outside  her  province.  The  Church 
often  muzzles  the  mouths  of  the  prophets  lest 
they  offend  the  sources  of  munificence  and 
check  the  streams  of  bounty  upon  which  it 
depends.  This  is  an  offense  not  only  to  the 
spirit  of  democracy,  but  to  the  new  con- 
science of  the  age.  The  Church  preaches, 
for  the  most  part,  the  minor  moralities  of 
purely  personal  conduct,  technical  pieties 
and  ecclesiastical  proprieties,  while  the  age 
is  seeking  the  larger  righteousness  of  the 
Kingdom  of  God,  which  is  *  human  society 
organized  according  to  the  Will  of  God.' 
God  forbid  that  I  should  discredit  or  belittle 
the  work  the  Church  is  doing  for  the  relief 
of  the  distressed  and  the  enlargement  and 
enrichment  of  lives  that  are  narrow  and 
meagre  in  their  interests  and  opportunities. 
But  she  deals  too  exclusively  with  the  symp- 
toms of  our  social  disease  and  unrest  and 
does  not  touch  their  causes. 


14  The  Call  of  the  New  Day 

"  She  sends  out  her  corps  of  Red  Cross 
nurses  to  minister  to  the  wounded  in  our  un- 
equal economic  and  industrial  conflict,  but 
she  does  not  address  herself  to  the  causes  of 
the  strife.  She  pours  oil  and  wine  into  the 
wounds  of  the  half-dead  traveler  on  the  Jeri- 
cho Road,  but  she  does  not  lend  a  hand  to 
rid  that  road  of  thieves  and  robbers,  or  to  re- 
form the  system  which  inevitably  produces 
thieves  and  robbers.  Yet  the  situation  is  not 
wholly  discouraging.  The  Church  is  bound 
to  become  more  hospitable  to  the  new  spirit 
of  religion.  More  and  more  prophets  are 
heard  in  her  pulpits,  pleading  for  and  pro- 
claiming the  larger  righteousness  of  economic 
justice  and  social  equity,  as  distinguished 
from  the  narrower  righteousness  of  merely 
personal  respectability.  The  great  move- 
ments of  reform  and  reconstruction  are  seek- 
ing a  home  and  centre  about  which  they 
may  organize  and  unify  themselves.  And 
there  is  none  other  like  the  Church,  if  the 
Church  will  only  take  them." 

Throughout  the  entire  Church  there  is  a 
growing  restlessness  among  its  ministers, 
especially  among  the  younger  men  who  have 
been  brought  into  touch  with  present-day 
problems.     This  restlessness  is   due  less,  to 


To  the  Old  Church  15 

theological  considerations  than  it  is  to  socio- 
logical conditions.  Many  of  these  ministers 
have  resigned  their  charges  to  become  lead- 
ers in  social  work,  either  local  or  national, 
while  hundreds  of  strong  men  who  might 
otherwise  have  entered  the  Christian  minis- 
try have  become  allied  with  broader  socio- 
logical movements.  Some  of  these  men 
have  taken  this  step  after  having  experienced 
keen  disappointment  because  they  felt  that 
they  could  not  carry  on  their  life's  work 
through  the  Church.  They  have  not  lost 
faith  in  the  Church  as  an  institution,  but  they 
no  longer  have  confidence  in  certain  institu- 
tions of  the  Church. 

The  reactionary  element  which  is  now  in 
control  in  the  Church  has  sneeringly  said 
that  men  of  this  type  are  **  socialists "  or 
**  anarchists,"  and  that  the  Church  is  better 
off  without  them.  They  said  the  same  thing 
about  Jesus  two  thousand  years  ago.  It  has 
often  happened  that  men  have  been  driven 
into  radical  positions  because  of  the  intoler- 
ance of  this  reactionary  group,  which,  appar- 
ently, hasn't  the  remotest  idea  what  socialism 
or  anarchy  mean. 

But  the  real  menace  to  the  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ  to-day  is  not  the  radical,  whether  his 
radicalism    be    theological    or    sociological. 


l6  The  Call  of  the  New  Day 

The  real  menace  is  the  smug,  self-satisfied 
person  who  is  quite  content  with  things  as 
they  are,  and  who  wants  no  change  of  any 
kind  which  will  compel  him  to  readjust  him- 
self to  meet  the  modern  need. 

Jesus  Christ  was  a  Revolutionist.  He  dis- 
regarded altogether  the  ecclesiastical  aris- 
tocracy of  His  day  and  the  social  aristocracy 
of  His  period.  Neither  had  they  any  use  for 
Him.  The  latter  scorned  Him  because  of 
His  poverty  and  lowly  origin,  while  the 
former  crucified  Him  because  He  dared  tell 
the  truth.  His  message  was  disturbing. 
It  unsettled  things.  When  His  disciples 
preached  it  they  were  brought  before  the 
Sanhedrin  upon  the  charge  that  they  were 
proclaiming  a  doctrine  which  was  turning 
the  world  upside  down.  These  accusers 
were  right.  This  Gospel  which  Jesus  gave 
the  world  will  continue  to  turn  the  world 
upside  down  until  it  is  turned  right  side  up. 

To  keep  the  Church  clear-eyed  and  open- 
minded  is  a  great  necessity.  Were  the 
Church  to  insist  that  God  has  ceased  to  re- 
veal Himself  and  His  purposes  for  the  world, 
it  would  at  once  mean  stagnation.  God  is 
revealing  Himself  anew  day  by  day,  in  His 
dealings  with  men  and  with  nations.  There 
are  prophets  of  God  in  the  twentieth  century 


To  the  Old  Church  17 

just  as  surely  as  there  were  in  the  first  or  the 
centuries  preceding  it.  It  cannot  be  that  the 
Bible  is  a  closed  book,  and  that  God  has 
ceased  to  speak  through  men  simply  because 
a  church  council  decreed  it.  God  is  writing 
new  chapters  every  day. 

Men  are  speaking  for  God  in  the  twentieth 
century.  Their  inspiration  may  not  be  ac- 
cepted for  a  century  or  two — or  longer.  But 
this  was  also  true  of  some  of  the  men  who 
wrote  the  Bible  which  we  now  accept  as  in- 
spired. But  here's  the  point — God  is  still 
speaking.  And  if  God  is  still  speaking  He 
is  naturally  giving  us  fresh  revelations  of 
Himself  and  His  purposes.  This  must  mean 
a  larger  life  for  the  Church.  God's  revela- 
tion will  not  be  hampered  by  traditions,  no 
matter  how  sacred.  The  Church  is  capable 
of  infinite  expansion — even  to  the  utmost  of 
its  opportunities  as  shown  in  God's  new  reve- 
lations. It  behooves  us  to  keep  out  of  the 
way  of  the  Church's  progress — to  say  the 
least.  Better  still,  it  is  a  privilege  to  learn 
God's  will  and  obey  it.  To  keep  in  line  with 
God  means  growth.  To  oppose  His  will 
means  annihilation. 


II 

ELEMENTS  AFFECTING  THE  CHURCH'S 
GROWTH 

FOR  one  hundred  years  the  Protestant 
Church  in  the  United  States  had  been 
making  steady  progress.  In  1800 
seven  persons  out  of  every  hundred  were 
members  of  the  Church  ;  in  1900  there  were 
twenty-four.  With  every  decade  there  has 
been  an  increase  in  membership.  But  from 
1900  to  1 9 10  the  Church  barely  kept  pace 
with  the  population.  The  growth  of  popula- 
tion during  this  period  was  twenty-one  per 
cent.  The  increase  in  the  Protestant  Church 
was  also  twenty-one  per  cent.  For  one  hun- 
dred years  the  Church  had  steadily  outdis- 
tanced the  population.  For  ten  years  it  has 
been  a  tie.  What  will  the  next  decade 
produce  ?  Some  people  are  getting  comfort 
out  of  the  statement  that  the  Church  is 
**  holding  its  own."  But  where  in  God's  word 
is  the  Church  commanded  merely  to  hold  its 
own  ?  Isn't  it  true  that  we  are  commanded 
to  conquer  the  world  ?     If  we  are  failing  in 

18 


To  the  Old  Church  19 

this,  can  it  be  said  that  we  are  true  to  the 
commission  entrusted  to  us  ? 

In  defense  of  the  Church  it  is  often  re- 
marked that  the  comparative  faUing  off  in  its 
membership  is  due  to  the  coming  in  of  great 
masses  of  immigrants — **  a  milHon  a  year," 
has  been  the  cry  of  home  missionary  agencies. 
As  a  matter  of  fact  the  percentage  of  foreign 
born  people  in  the  United  States  is  no  greater 
to-day  than  it  was  fifty  years  ago.  The  con- 
stant percentage  of  foreign  born  during  all  of 
this  period  has  been  just  about  fourteen. 
But  suppose  it  were  true  that  there  are  large 
numbers  of  immigrants  in  our  country  to- 
day, upon  whom  the  Church  is  making  prac- 
tically no  impression  ?  We  have  been  say- 
ing that  the  Gospel  is  the  power  of  God  unto 
salvation  to  every  one  that  believeth.  But 
when  the  immigrant  moves  in  the  Church 
usually  moves  out,  thereby  admitting  that  its 
Gospel  is  effective  for  the  foreigner  only  whenr 
it  is  exported  through  foreign  missionary 
societies,  and  that  it  is  non-effective  in  a 
highly  developed  Christian  country,  where  it 
should  be  at  its  very  best.  Is  the  Church 
ready  to  make  this  confession  ? 

"  Men  are  not  preaching  the  old-time 
religion ;  therefore  the  Church  is  losing  its 
grip,"  we  are  told.     This  isn't  true.     Thou- 


20  The  Call  of  the  New  Day 

sands  of  ministers  are  preaching  what  is 
known  as  *'the  old  gospel,"  but  they  aren't 
making  much  of  an  impression  on  the 
modern  situation.  There  must  be  another 
reason  for  the  failure.  Prince  of  preachers 
that  Dwight  L.  Moody  was,  he  was  com- 
pletely defeated  when  he  attempted  to  con- 
duct an  evangelistic  campaign  on  the  lower 
east  side  of  New  York  twenty  years  ago. 
And  yet  the  people  in  the  tenements  are 
hungry  for  religion. 

Neither  is  it  a  question  of  preaching  **  the 
new  gospel "  of  the  liberal  theologian.  If 
this  were  true,  then  the  Unitarian  and  the 
Universalist  churches  would  be  crowded  with 
workingmen.  The  old-fashioned  gospel  is 
much  more  appealing  to  workingmen  than 
the  new.  There  isn't  the  least  doubt  of  this. 
But  actually,  it  isn't  a  question  of  theology  at 
all.     It  is  a  more  inclusive  proposition. 

For  ten  years  the  evangelists  have  been 
telling  us  that  we  are  on  the  verge  of  a  great 
spiritual  awakening.  But  it  is  significant 
that  it  was  after  an  unusual  propaganda 
through  costly  evangelistic  commissions  that 
the  Church  experienced  its  worst  slump  in 
recent  years.  There  are  a  few  evangelists 
who  through  their  peculiar  personalities  are 
making  remarkable   appeals  to  the  people. 


To  the  Old  Church  21 

But  the  question  is  often  raised  whether 
galvanizing  the  Church  into  a  semblance  of 
spiritual  power  can  have  permanent  value. 
Whatever  maybe  said  regarding  the  methods 
of  the  evangelists  in  question  there  is  no 
doubt  that  frequently  great  good  is  accom- 
plished in  individual  lives.  But  the  fact  that 
so  very  many  always  return  to  the  old  life 
seems  to  indicate  that  the  message  of  the 
evangelist  was  not  comprehensive  enough  to 
permanently  enlist  these  earnest  men  and 
women  who  sincerely  desired  to  live  the 
Christian  life. 

The  appeal  of  the  average  evangelist  is  too 
narrow.  If  he  were  more  sympathetic 
towards  a  larger,  fuller  gospel,  which  might 
be  preached  by  those  who  stay  after  he  goes, 
it  would  make  the  task  less  difficult,  but 
usually  the  evangelist  goes  out  of  his  way  to 
ridicule  and  completely  discredit  a  social 
message  which  would  really  make  his  own 
work  more  effective.  He  makes  it  almost 
impossible  for  the  minister  to  discuss  with 
the  new  converts  the  social  aspects  of  the 
Gospel,  with  the  result  that  many  of  the 
men  and  women  who  were  enthusiastic 
for  service  when  they  came  into  the  Church 
soon  drift  out,  because  they  cannot  all  teach 
Sunday-school  classes,  or  serve  as  deacons  or 


22  The  Call  of  the  New  Day 

elders,  or  remain  inactive  in  Bible  classes. 
If  the  evangelist  cannot  himself  preach  a  full- 
orbed  gospel,  he  should  not  object  to  others 
preaching  the  message  that  he  neglects. 

The  Church  is  being  severely  tested  in 
the  cities.  From  1900  to  19 10  the  cities  of 
25,000  and  over  increased  fifty-five  per  cent. 
Can  it  be  said  that  church  membership  in 
these  cities  also  increased  fifty-five  per  cent  ? 
By  no  juggling  of  figures  can  this  increase 
be  established.  The  tendency  of  the  popula- 
tion to  move  towards  the  city  is  one  of  the 
marvels  of  modern  times.  One-tenth  of  the 
population  in  the  United  States  lives  in  the 
three  cities  of  New  York,  Philadelphia,  and 
Chicago.  One-half  the  population  of  New 
York  state  lives  in  New  York  City.  One- 
fourth  the  population  of  this  country  lives 
upon  one  four-hundredth  of  the  total  land 
area.  The  cities  of  agricultural  Canada  are 
growing  even  more  rapidly  than  those  in  the 
United  States.  The  cities  of  Europe  and 
Asia  are  also  swelling  their  population 
figures  in  phenomenal  fashion. 

But  as  populations  and  problems  in  the 
city  increase,  the  churches  move  steadily  out. 
We  contend  that  the  Church  has  the  only 
solvent  of  the  social  problem,  but  in  a  situa- 
tion which  demands  its  direct  and  immediate 


To  the  Old  Church  23 

application,  we  seem  to  grow  suddenly  pes- 
simistic regarding  its  actual  effectiveness,  or 
we  quickly  deny  that  our  Gospel  was  in- 
tended to  be  used  to  cure  modern  social  ills, 
except  by  indirection. 

Without  the  slightest  compunction  we  sell 
down-town  church  property,  made  valuable 
by  reason  of  what  the  neighbors  did  through 
the  payment  of  taxes  and  the  general  im- 
provement of  property,  and  appropriate  it 
for  the  building  of  fine  churches  in  other 
parts  of  the  city.  We  seem  to  forget  that 
the  community  has  a  stake  in  the  church 
which  never  paid  taxes  and  scarcely  made 
an  attempt  to  benefit  the  people  in  the 
neighborhood  in  any  practical  way.  We 
fail  to  recall  that  a  church  is  relieved  from 
paying  taxes  on  the  principle  that  it  is  per- 
forming services  to  the  state  which  is  at  least 
equivalent  to  the  amount  of  the  taxes  it 
should  pay.  We  talk  about  the  problem  of 
"the  down-town  church,"  whereas  the  em- 
phasis should  be  placed  upon  the  down-town 
problem  of  the  Church.  For  the  problems 
that  face  us  here  must  not  become  the  con- 
cern of  a  single  church,  nor  of  the  churches 
which  happen  to  be  situated  in  the  down- 
town district.  They  must  be  attacked  by  the 
entire  Church. 


24  The  Call  of  the  New  Day 

We  become  enthusiastic  about  solving  the 
city's  problems  by  shifting  the  tenement 
poor  onto  the  farm.  But  every  such  attempt 
will  result  in  failure.  It  is  flying  into  the 
face  of  inexorable  law.  If  it  were  possible 
to  start  towards  the  farm  a  thousand  thin 
blooded  tenement  house  men,  they  would 
meet  on  the  way  an  equal  number  of  husky 
farmers'  boys  who  had  failed  to  make  good. 
If  these  do  not  succeed,  or  if  they  are  dis- 
satisfied with  the  farm,  how  can  it  be  ex- 
pected that  the  men  of  the  tenement  will 
succeed  ?  The  city  must  solve  its  own  prob- 
lems. The  country  has  troubles  enough  of 
its  own. 

It  is  said  that  there  are  in  some  middle 
Western  states  nearly  one  thousand  aban- 
doned churches.  This  is  due,  in  a  large 
measure,  to  the  loss  of  population,  but  there 
is  a  steady  decline  of  interest  in  religious 
matters  in  the  country.  The  social  and 
economic  problems  of  the  city  are  being 
forced  upon  country  people.  These  prob- 
lems are  seriously  affecting  the  life  of  the 
Church.  The  country  church  must  become 
the  centre  of  the  lives  of  the  people.  Either 
the  country  minister  will  become  the  leader 
of  the  people,  or  the  people  will  have  an  in- 
creasing disregard  for  the  Church.    This  does 


To  the  Old  Church  25 

not  mean  that  the  minister  needs  to  know 
more  about  farming  than  the  farmer.  But 
there  are  ways  in  which  the  minister  may 
direct  his  people  so  that  they  will  become 
better  farmers.  Poor  farmers  will  always  be 
poor  supporters  of  the  Church.  The  pros- 
perity and  continuance  of  the  country  church 
depends  upon  the  prosperity  of  the  farmer 
and  his  fidelity  to  the  soil. 


Ill 

SOCIAL  PROBLEMS  CONFRONTING 
THE  CHURCH 

THE  per  capita  consumption  of  in- 
toxicatingjiquor  in  this  country  has 
increased  from  five  gallons  in  1850 
to  twenty-three  gallons  in  191 2,  in  spite  of 
the  activities  of  temperance  and  prohibition 
societies.  This  increase  has  been  a  steady 
one,  and  is  not  due  to  any  abnormal  cause, 
as,  for  example,  the  sudden  release  of  a  large 
quantity  of  liquor  from  the  bonded  ware- 
houses. What  is  it  that  makes  the  saloon 
attractive?  It  cannot  be  attributed  to  the 
"low-browed  brutes"  who  run  saloons. 
Low-browed  brutes  are  not  very  attractive 
to  anybody.  One  reason  why  saloons  are 
attractive  is  because  they  are  democratic 
institutions.  Also,  they  are  very  human 
affairs.  The  bartender  and  the  saloon-keeper 
find  jobs  for  their  patrons.  They  give  sound 
advice  concerning  a  great  many  every-day 
affairs.  They  are  the  centres  of  political  in- 
fluence. They  provide  various  kinds  of  rec- 
reational features. 

26 


To  the  Old  Church  27 

The  saloons  are  social  centres,  in  a  very 
important  sense.  There  are  many  evils  con- 
nected with  them,  and  these  must  not  be 
overlooked,  but  an  utter  disregard  of  the 
elements  that  are  good  will  weaken  the  at- 
tack upon  an  institution  which  has  a  tremen- 
dous grip  on  the  average  man.  The  Church 
needs  to  recognize  the  distinct  social  and 
economic  value  of  the  saloon,  and  it  must  ad- 
dress itself  specifically  to  meet  the  influence 
which  the  saloon  has  created  for  itself.  A 
negative  program  with  reference  to  the  saloon 
will  never  permanendy  close  it  up.  The 
Church  must  be  more  than  **  Anti " — it  must 
be  positive  and  constructive.  We  are  always 
tremendously  concerned  about  shutting  up 
things.  Isn't  it  about  time  that  we  gave 
some  thought  to  opening  up  something  that 
will  help  solve  the  recreation  problem  ? 

In  forty  years  the  population  in  this  coun- 
try has  increased  one  hundred  per  cent. 
During  the  same  period  the  number  of 
divorces  granted  has  increased  seven  hun- 
dred and  fifty  per  cent.  We  grant  more 
divorces  than  any  other  civilized  country  on 
the  globe.  We  grant  one  divorce  to  every 
twelve  marriages ;  in  some  states  one  to 
every  four  marriages,  as  over  against  one 
divorce   for   every  twenty-two  marriages  in 


28  The  Call  of  the  New  Day 

Switzerland,  one  to  every  thirty  in  France, 
one  to  every  forty-four  in  Germany,  and  one 
to  every  400  in  England.  Is  it  conceivable 
that  the  Church  can  remain  indifferent  to  a 
condition  that  is  breaking  down  our  national 
life  as  the  divorce  evil  is  doing  ?  It  must  not 
be  supposed  that  the  evil  is  altogether  due  to 
immorality,  for  surely  Americans  are  not  more 
immoral  than  Europeans.  There  are  social 
and  economic  reasons  for  the  divorce  evil 
which  we  cannot  ignore.  Its  solution  will 
depend  upon  a  broad,  comprehensive  study 
of  the  entire  situation.  The  Church  must 
have  an  important  part  in  this  investigation. 

It  would  be  a  vain  thing  to  attempt  even  to 
approximate  the  number  of  prostitutes  in  the 
United  States.  A  few  cities  have  succeeded 
in  wiping  out  their  "red-light"  districts. 
This  hasn't  abolished  the  social  evil,  not  even 
in  these  cities,  although  it  has  accomplished 
a  great  deal  of  good.  Most  of  the  women 
simply  went  to  other  cities  where  they  con- 
tinued to  carry  on  their  trade,  or  else  they 
moved  into  the  residential  districts.  It  will 
not  help  in  the  final  solution  of  this  problem 
merely  to  shift  the  responsibility  onto  some 
other  town.  When  will  the  churches  have 
the  courage  to  face  this  situation  ? 

Our    method    of    dealing  with    so-called 


To  the  Old  Church  29 

"  fallen  women  "  is  most  unjust,  in  view  of  our 
treatment  of  the  *'  fallen  men  "  who  in  most 
instances  are  directly  responsible  for  the  con- 
dition of  the  women.  But  aside  from  this,  we 
regard  these  women  as  creatures  of  an  inferior 
order.  We  assume  that  they  must  always 
have  been  different  in  their  very  natures  from 
our  own  daughters  and  sisters.  This  does 
not  necessarily  follow.  Harsh  as  it  may  seem, 
practically  none  of  our  children  are  altogether 
immune  from  the  horrible  influence  of  the 
social  evil.  We  sing  most  tenderly  about  the 
**  wandering  boy," 

*'  Once  he  was  pure  as  morning  light." 

What  about  the  **  wandering  girl "  ?  The 
chances  are  that  the  '*  wandering  boy  "  was 
largely  responsible  for  her  present  situation. 
But  when  she  desires  to  *'  come  home,"  we 
imagine  that  the  only  suitable  place  for  her  is 
an  institution  or  a  mission.  And  we  wonder 
why  she  rebels  against  going  there  until  she 
has  reached  the  extreme  point  in  her  degrad- 
ing experience.  We  do  not  seem  to  realize 
that  usually  this  woman  was  once  open- 
hearted  and  generous,  full  blooded  and  affec- 
tionate, and  that  these  very  virtues — per- 
verted— were  what  drove  her  into  a  life  of 
shame.     A  cold,  formal  institution,  where  she 


30  The  Call  of  the  New  Day 

will  be  stared  at  by  "benefactresses,"  and 
patronized,  doesn't  appeal  to  a  woman  of  this 
type,  no  matter  how  low  she  may  have  fallen. 
It  will  be  worth  while  remembering  in  the 
genealogy  of  Jesus  given  by  Matthew,  there 
were  some  women  of  rather  "  shady  "  reputa- 
tion. These  were  signally  honored  by  God 
in  spite  of  their  doubtful  careers.  While  we 
accept  the  theory  that  God  will  receive  any 
sinner,  no  matter  how  he  may  have  fallen, 
we  are  not  quite  ready  to  be  so  generous  our- 
selves. 

Some  day  the  Church  will  revise  its  atti- 
tude towards  **  fallen  women."  And  this 
means  that  individual  church  members  will 
do  so.  Not  merely  by  resolution  but  by  con- 
duct. Furthermore,  we  will  inquire  more 
closely  into  the  causes  of  the  social  evil. 
While  the  economic  situation  is  not  alto- 
gether to  blame  for  it,  we  will  be  prepared  to 
say,  frankly,  that  a  girl  who  earns  only  six 
dollars  a  week  will  have  a  tremendous  strug- 
gle to  live  a  virtuous  life  in  a  big  city,  where 
the  temptation  to  do  the  other  thing  is  so  al- 
luringly and  so  persistently  presented.  We 
will  insist  that  working  women  shall  receive 
a  fair  wage.  We  will  take  a  greater  interest 
in  her  home,  and  the  conditions  which  may 
drive  her  into  the  street  or  into  places  of 


To  the  Old  Church  31 

questionable  amusement.  We  will  think  it 
worth  while  to  remember  that  she  has  certain 
recreational  needs  which  must  be  satisfied. 
We  will  see  to  it  that  public  recreational 
centres  are  freed  from  every  evil  influence,  no 
matter  who  conducts  them.  The  Church 
will  do  this  through  her  chivalrous  men,  who 
will  fight  for  the  girl  who  needs  strong 
champions  and  wise  friends. 

The  industrial  situation  is  becoming  in- 
creasingly complex.  The  development  of 
Socialism  in  every  part  of  the  world  is  full 
of  significance.  There  are  to-day  about 
30,000,000  Socialists  in  Europe  and  Amer- 
ica. In  1888  the  Socialists  in  the  United 
States  polled  2,000  votes.  In  19 14  they 
polled  over  a  million  votes.  Socialism  can- 
not be  bluffed  out  or  laughed  out.  The  only 
way  to  eradicate  Socialism  is  to  wipe  out  the 
conditions  which  have  given  rise  to  Socialism. 
To  many  men  and  women  Socialism  has  be- 
come a  religion.  They  are  ready  to  sacrifice 
as  much  for  "  the  cause  "  as  is  the  case  with 
Christian  missionaries. 

The  conflict  in  the  industrial  world  has  re- 
cently developed  a  new  aspect  which  is  giv- 
ing serious  concern  to  some  observers.  On 
the  one  hand  we  have  national  employers* 
associations  which  will  not  recognize  work- 


32  The  Call  of  the  New  Day 

ingmen  through  their  trade  unions.  At  the 
other  extreme  are  the  Industrial  Workers  of 
the  World,  who  will  not  make  bargains  with 
employers  because  they  say  they  have  noth- 
ing in  common  with  them — their  interests  are 
so  totally  different  that  they  decline  to  make 
any  kind  of  a  contract  with  the  bosses. 
Meanwhile,  these  groups  of  radical  em- 
ployers and  radical  workingmen  are  both 
playing  into  the  hands  of  the  Socialists. 

The  trade  unionist  knows  full  well  that 
when  he  is  deprived  of  membership  in  the 
labor  union,  there  is  only  one  alternative  for 
him,  namely,  Socialism.  And  thousands  of 
trade  unionists  are  pouring  into  the  ranks 
of  the  radicals  because  of  the  attitude  of 
some  employers  of  labor  towards  the  trades 
union.  Entire  national  organizations  of  labor 
have  openly  committed  themselves  to  the 
philosophy  of  Karl  Marx.  There  will  no 
doubt  be  a  final  terrific  conflict  between  the 
men  and  the  bosses  if  present  tendencies 
continue.  But  it  will  not  be  between  the 
Manufacturers'  Association  and  the  labor 
unions.  It  will  be  between  the  Manufac- 
turers' Association  and  the  Socialists.  The 
writer  is  neither  a  Socialist  nor  a  prophet, 
but  he  ventures  the  assertion  that  in  this  con- 
flict the  Socialists  are  sure  to  win. 


To  the  Old  Church  33 

What  should  be  the  attitude  of  the  Church 
towards  these  movements?  Let  it  be  said 
with  definiteness — the  Church  must  not  be- 
come the  advocate  of  any  particular  social 
system.  It  is  the  business  of  the  Church  to 
preach  the  fundamental  principles  of  Jesus, 
applying  them  to  present-day  problems  in  a 
perfectly  fair  but  fearless  fashion.  But  the 
Church  must  be  broad  enough  to  include 
all  those  whose  lives  are  dominated  by  the 
Spirit  of  Jesus,  and  who  are  seeking  to  bring 
in  the  Kingdom  of  God,  no  matter  what  their 
economic  beliefs  may  be.  There  are  many 
men  outside  the  Church  to-day  who  would  be 
within,  had  they  not  been  made  to  feel  un- 
comfortable because  of  their  personal  con- 
victions regarding  the  economic  situation 
and  its  permanent  betterment.  They  are 
Christian  men.  There  is  no  doubt  of  this, 
if  one  may  judge  them  by  their  fruits  and 
their  spirit.  And  these  must  be  the  final 
test. 

There  is  a  phase  of  the  industrial  situation 
which  suggests  grave  questions.  A  recent 
study  of  how  one  thousand  workingmen 
spent  their  spare  time  demonstrated  the  fact 
that  the  men  who  were  most  indifferent  to 
the  Church  were  not  those  who  worked  long 
hours  and    thus   were  too  tired   to   go  to 


34  The  Call  of  the  New  Day 

church,  but  those  who  worked  only  eight 
hours  per  day,  and  not  at  all  on  Saturday 
afternoons.  In  other  words,  the  most  in- 
telligent, highest  grade  workers  were  not 
attracted  by  the  Church.  In  every  com- 
parison between  the  Church  and  all  other 
agencies,  the  Church  always  suffered,  when 
these  workingmen  made  their  decision. 

The  real  **  problem  of  the  workingman " 
for  the  Church  to  consider  is  not  so  much 
the  low-waged,  long-houred  worker,  but  the 
highly  skilled  artisan.  This  is  the  man  who 
is  becoming  interested  in  other  movements 
which  are  to-day  challenging  the  Church 
for  supremacy  in  the  hearts  of  the  people. 
He  is  the  man  who  is  tied  up  to  the  trades 
union.  It  is  in  the  trades  union  that  the 
battle  of  the  workers  must  be  fought  out. 
And  in  the  trades  union,  too,  will  the  best 
of  the  laboring  men  make  their  decision  as 
to  what  shall  be  their  attitude  towards  the 
Church.  The  Church  simply  cannot  neglect 
the  opportunity  to  secure  a  hearing  in  the 
labor  hall.  The  powerful  organizations  of 
labor,  with  their  frequent,  orderly,  and  busi- 
nesslike meetings,  local,  state,  and  national ; 
and  the  nearly  three  hundred  weekly  and 
monthly  newspapers  which  are  read  dili- 
gently by  the   workers  and  their  families, 


To  the  Old  Church  35 

present  a  remarkable  avenue  of  approach 
to  millions  of  men  who  are  not  at  all  inter- 
ested in  the  Church.  They  are  not  opposed 
to  the  Church — they  are  simply  indifTerent. 
But  this  is  really  worse  than  if  they  openly 
fought  the  Church. 


TV 


THE  IMPERATIVE  CALL  TO  THE 
CHURCH 

WHAT  does  the  Church  most  need 
to-day?  It  isn't  more  money.  The 
Church  is  not  dependent  upon 
money.  It  was  most  powerful,  considering 
its  numerical  strength,  when  it  had  practically 
no  wealth.  When  Jesus  sent  out  His  disci- 
ples to  conquer  the  world  He  told  them  not 
to  bother  with  money.  In  those  days  the 
Church  was  a  great  revolutionary  force.  Its 
leader  was  without  headquarters.  His  disci- 
ples were  wanderers  and  outcasts  from  so- 
ciety. They  lived  in  caves  and  catacombs. 
But  they  were  slowly  undermining  the  im- 
morality and  heathenism  of  the  period. 

The  Church  needs  some  money  to  carry 
on  its  work  under  present  conditions,  but 
money  threatens  some  day  to  become  the 
curse  of  the  Church,  just  as  it  has  proven  to 
be  the  curse  of  many  another  institution. 
Money  may  tone  down  its  message.  It  may 
tie  up  its  best  activities.     The  kind  of  money 

36 


To  the  Old  Church  37 

that  is  of  greatest  value  to  the  Church  is 
that  which  comes  from  those  who  can  least 
afford  to  give  it.  This  money  will  be  a  greater 
blessing  than  that  which  was  earned  by  the 
sweat  of  another's  brow  rather  than  by  the 
sacrifice  of  the  one  who  gave  it. 

Money  has  undoubtedly  been  a  blessing  to 
the  Church,  but  it  has  been  the  money  which 
it  gave  away.  The  increase  of  its  riches  has 
not  been  the  cause  of  its  increasing  influence, 
where  that  influence  has  made  itself  felt  for 
good.  Money  given  to  missions  and  hos- 
pitals and  schools  undoubtedly  made  the 
service  rendered  easier  to  give,  but  the  work- 
ers who  served  unquestionably  gave  more 
abundantly  than  those  who  contributed  cash 
for  buildings  and  equipment.  And  the  best 
of  that  service  w^ould  have  been  given  any- 
way. 

It  isn't  more  members.  The  actual  power 
of  an  organization  is  never  determined  by 
mere  numbers.  Gideon's  band  of  a  few  hun- 
dred w^as  far  more  effective  than  the  army 
of  thousands  of  half-hearted  soldiers.  That 
minister  who  said  that  they  had  been  having 
a  greal  revival  in  his  church — not  because  so 
many  had  been  added  to  the  church,  but  be- 
cause a  good  many  had  been  getting  out, 
spoke  a  solemn  truth. 


38  The  Call  of  the  New  Day 

We  have  made  it  too  easy  to  get  into  the 
Church.  Not  that  any  sincere  person  should 
ever  be  denied  admission,  but  we  have  urged 
church  membership  upon  many  who  might 
otherwise  have  taken  the  whole  thing  more 
seriously  if  they  had  been  made  to  realize  the 
real  significance  of  church  membership.  We 
have  made  it  a  thing  much  too  cheap.  We 
have  made  it  appear  that  to  be  a  church 
member  was  all  that  was  required  of  men, 
so  far  as  the  Christian  life  is  concerned.  The 
result  has  been  that  to-day  we  have  millions 
in  the  Church  who  not  only  add  nothing  to 
its  power,  but  whose  lives  are  stunted  be- 
cause they  never  exercise  the  virtues  which 
should  be  peculiar  to  the  men  and  women 
who  are  members  of  the  Church. 

It  isn^t  more  ministers.  The  theological 
schools  are  crying  out  for  students.  The 
Boards  of  the  Church  are  pleading  for  re- 
cruits. But  the  Church  doesn't  need  more 
ministers  in  this  country.  There  are  now 
about  200,000  of  them.  If  it  is  merely  a 
question  of  numbers,  then  the  Church  and 
its  agencies  for  enlisting  and  training  minis- 
ters might  better  cease  their  efforts.  What 
is  needed  is  not  more  ministers  but  better 
ministers. 

It  isn't  more  religion.     There  was  a  lot  of 


To  the  Old  Church  .39 

"  religion  "  among  the  Israelites  when  Jere- 
miah protested  against  their  iniquity.  And 
when  they  said  to  him,  in  substance :  "  Did 
you  ever  see  a  more  beautiful  service,  and  a 
greater  number  of  burnt  sacrifices  being  of- 
fered upon  the  altar,  and  a  larger  number  of 
meetings  presided  over  by  cultured  priests  ?  '* 
Jeremiah  denounced  them  even  more  vehe- 
mently. And  when  he  would  not  cease  from 
his  protesting  they  put  him  into  prison. 
When  Paul  visited  Athens  he  told  these 
worshippers  of  30,000  gods  that  they  were 
**  altogether  too  religious." 

You  may  pick  a  man  out  of  the  gutter, 
scrape  ofl  the  mud,  and  find  a  Methodist,  a 
Baptist,  a  Presbyterian  or  an  Episcopalian 
ready  to  fight  for  his  '*  religion."  The  **  old 
time  religion  "  may  or  may  not  be  a  good 
thing.  But  the  fact  that  it's  old  doesn't 
necessarily  make  it  good.  There  have  been 
many  things  done  in  the  name  of  religion 
which  were  actually  the  work  of  the  devil. 
Religion — pure  and  undefiled — is  a  wonder- 
ful thing.  But  to  be  merely  **  religious " 
doesn't  help  matters  much.  Often  it  has 
simply  a  hardening  effect. 

It  isn't  more  sociability.  To  be  cordial 
and  free  from  snobbishness  is  a  most  excellent 
thing,  even  for  the  Church.     But  the  Church 


40  The  Call  of  the  New  Day 

isn't  suffering  to-day  because  it  hasn't  enough 
oyster  suppers  and  ice-cream  festivals.  It 
has  an  abundance  of  clubs  and  classes.  It 
often  has  reception  committees  and  the  min- 
ister and  his  helpers  greet  the  stranger  at  the 
door.  The  Church  furnishes  social  life  for 
millions,  and  in  this  particular  it  is  perform- 
ing a  valuable  service.  On  the  whole,  the 
Church  isn't  failing  as  a  social  institution. 
Sometimes,  it  is  feared,  this  part  of  its  work 
is  greatly  overemphasized.  The  danger  is 
that  its  social  work  may  swamp  much  else 
that  is  still  more  valuable. 

It  isn't  more  philanthropy.  The  Church 
has  always  been  the  centre  and  promoter  of 
philanthropic  work.  It  was  the  organizer  of 
hospitals  when  others  permitted  the  sick  to 
suffer  and  die.  It  cared  for  little  children 
when  the  world  had  not  yet  learned  to  ap- 
preciate the  value  of  "  one  such  little  one." 
In  every  land  and  to  all  the  people,  wherever 
suffering  was  found,  there  the  Church  has 
given  freely  that  burdens  might  be  lightened 
and  care  made  easier  to  carry.  But  what 
the  Church  needs  most  just  now  is  not  to 
increase  its  philanthropic  work,  for  others 
have  learned  from  the  Church  how  to  min- 
ister to  the  needy. 

What  does  the   Church  need  most?    It 


To  the  Old  Church  41 

needs  money,  but  it  must  be  clean.  It  needs 
members,  but  they  must  be  true.  It  needs 
ministers,  but  they  must  be  strong.  It  needs 
religion,  but  it  must  be  pure.  It  needs  soci- 
ability, but  it  must  be  sincere.  It  needs  phi- 
lanthropy, but  it  must  be  tempered  by  justice. 
But  more  than  all  these  it  needs  men  a^id 
women  who  are  ready  to  pay  the  price  of  dis- 
cipleship.  More  than  all  these  it  needs  per- 
secution because  it  dares  go  contrary  to  the 
accepted  order  of  things — when  these  things 
are  wrong.  Nothing  would  make  the  Church 
grow  in  influence  quite  so  much  as  to  be  per- 
secuted for  righteousness'  sake. 

The  Church  needs  more  of  the  masculine 
touch.  There  are  millions  of  men  in  the 
Church,  but  they  have  been  content  to  allow 
the  women  to  dominate  the  Church  until  it 
has  been  almost  completely  feminized. 

The  brotherhoods  of  the  American  Prot- 
estant Churches  have  literally  dug  their 
graves  with  their  teeth.  Instead  of  being 
inspired  by  Mazzini's  call,  **  Come  and  suf- 
fer," they  were  fooled  by  the  swan  song, 
**  Come  and  eat." 

It  was  almost  pathetic  how  the  Church 
sighed  *'  It  is  done,"  when  these  brother- 
hoods were  organized.     Now  all  the  problems 


42  The  Call  of  the  New  Day 

of  the  Church  would  be  solved,  it  believed, 
for  had  not  the  men  of  the  Church  said  that 
the  women  had  been  faithful  long  enough — 
they  themselves  would  do  the  work  in  real 
man  fashion?  But  even  while  they  yet  spoke 
the  women  were  lined  about  the  walls  of  the 
banqueting  halls,  with  trays  and  towels  in 
hand,  feeding  these  valiant  soldiers,  who 
took  it  all  out  in  songs  and  speeches  and 
sandwiches. 

Scarcely  a  single  national  brotherhood  has 
made  good.  Here  and  there  a  local  organi- 
zation has  accomplished  a  fine  piece  of  work, 
but  even  most  of  the  local  brotherhoods  have 
flattened  **  tires."  Some  are  still  being  thrilled 
by  inspirational  addresses  delivered  by  spell- 
binders who  are  great  favorites  on  such  oc- 
casions, but  who  never  get  within  a  thousand 
miles  of  the  real  task.  They  know  the  latest 
jokes  and  they  work  out  great  schemes, 
which  are  propelled  by  hot  air ;  but  nothing 
happens. 

Meanwhile,  the  women  are  still  standing 
round  with  their  trays  and  their  towels,  smil- 
ing good-naturedly  at  the  guests  of  the 
evening,  and  they  still  look  foolish  and  em- 
barrassed when  the  funny  man  of  the  crowd 
offers  the  usual  vote  of  thanks  **to  the  ladies, 
what  would  we  do  without  them?" 


To  the  Old  Church  43 

Quite  right ;  sometimes  we  men  don't 
know  what  to  do  with  them  when  they  come 
to  us  full  of  enthusiasm  for  some  new  church 
enterprise;  but  what  would  we  do  without 
them  when  we  **  fall  down  "  on  the  whole 
thing  ourselves — what  would  we  do  without 
them? 

But  that  isn't  the  real  question  ;  the  most 
important  question  is  this :  What  is  to  be- 
come of  us?  The  women  can  run  the 
church,  and  maybe  the  church  will  continue 
to  do  the  kind  of  work  it  (or  she)  has  been 
doing  for  many  a  year ;  but  what  will  be- 
come of  the  men  who  consider  that  they 
have  done  their  full  duty  when  they  have 
permitted  the  women  to  wait  on  them  at  the 
brotherhood  **  banquet "  ? 

The  men  constitute  just  one-third  of  the 
membership  in  the  churches  to-day.  The 
fact  of  the  matter  is,  however,  the  men  who 
are  in  the  churches  are,  for  the  most  part, 
middle-aged  and  old  men.  The  young  men 
are  not  being  won  or  held  by  the  Church. 
What  will  happen  when  the  middle-aged 
men  become  old  men  and  the  old  men  die 
off? 

Doesn't  the  trouble  lie  in  the  fact  that  our 
churches  do  not  make  a  big  enough  ap- 
peal  to   men  ?    Aren't  we  too  much  afraid 


44  The  Call  of  the  New  Day 

of  putting  up  to  men  a  real  man's  job? 
Must  we  forever  be  silent  about  the  hard 
things  that  the  Church  should  be  doing  ? 
What  if  a  few  men,  or  even  many  men, 
should  be  driven  away,  even  from  the  ban- 
quet? The  best  and  strongest  will  remain, 
and  it  may  be  a  good  plan  to  build  upon  these 
the  foundation  of  a  great  superstructure  which 
will  stand  the  test  of  time. 

Here  is  a  chance  for  the  poorest  of  men  to 
have  a  part  in  building  up  the  Kingdom  of 
God  upon  earth,  and  the  rich  man  need  not  be 
left  out.  If  the  Church  is  to  win  the  strong 
men  who  are  to-day  offering  themselves  for 
hard  tasks  in  other  fields,  the  Church  must 
appeal  to  the  heroic  in  men.  Real  men  like 
to  do  things  that  demand  sacrifice.  And 
when  such  men  are  enlisted  in  the  great  cause 
for  which  the  Church  stands,  then  the  suc- 
cess of  the  Church  is  assured,  for  even  the 
other  kind  will  follow  the  strong  leaders  in 
the  Church. 

The  Church  has  been  emphasizing  the  im- 
portance of  individual  salvation.  It  is  time 
that  we  talked  more  about  social  salvation. 
We  have  been  saying  that  we  must  "  build 
up  the  Church."  We  ought  to  be  more 
deeply  interested  in  "  building  up  the  peo- 


To  the  Old  Church  45 

pie."  It  is  well  to  declare  that  the  individual 
must  be  saved.  But  the  individual  can  be 
saved  only  as  he  helps  save  society. 

The  time  has  come  for  a  great  new  crusade 
in  the  name  of  the  Church — a  crusade  which 
will  have  as  its  slogan  these  words :  "  He 
that  saveth  his  life  shall  lose  it,  and  he  that 
loseth  his  life  for  My  sake  shall  find  it." 
Some  of  us  have  been  thinking  only  of  what 
we  could  get  out  of  our  religion.  Jesus 
thought  only  of  what  He  could  put  into  it. 
This  is  the  basis  of  His  teaching.  This  is  the 
philosophy  of  His  religion.  He  came  **  not 
to  be  ministered  unto,  but  to  minister."  He 
came  to  give  His  life  a  sacrifice  for  men. 
**  As  the  Father  hath  sent  Me,  even  so  send  I 
you,"  He  told  the  disciples.  This  commis- 
sion is  also  given  to  twentieth  century  Chris- 
tians. The  social  message  of  Jesus  means 
sweat  and  blood  and  sacrifice  and  suffering. 

Institutional  work  is  a  very  small  part  of  the 
social  gospel.  Mere  sociability  is  even  less 
typical  of  what  it  implies.  The  social  gospel 
includes  economic  justice.  It  means  that 
underfed  women  and  overworked  men  must 
get  a  square  deal.  It  means  that  there  shall 
be  a  more  equitable  distribution  of  profits  in 
industry.  It  carries  with  it  the  spirit  of  true 
brotherhood  and  democracy. 


46  The  Call  of  the  New  Day 

The  Church  must  not  remain  in  ignorance 
of  vile  sanitary  conditions  and  bad  economic 
relationships.  It  must  study  these  questions 
with  an  open  mind  and  then  strike  at  them 
with  a  closed  fist.  The  Church  must  find  out 
why  so  many  people  die  of  contagious  but 
preventable  disease.  In  former  days  men 
said  that  great  epidemics  were  visitations  of 
divine  Providence.  To-day  they  charge  it  up 
to  the  Board  of  Health.  The  Church  cannot 
remain  out  of  the  fight  for  health  and  life. 
It  is  too  late  for  the  Church  to  say  that  it  has 
nothing  to  do  with  men's  bodies — that  it  is  its 
business  simply  to  save  men's  souls.  If  the 
Church  does  not  care  for  men's  bodies, 
which  it  has  seen,  how  can  it  care  for  men's 
souls  which  it  has  not  seen  ?  If  Jesus  thought 
it  worth  His  time  to  heal  men's  diseases,  isn't 
it  worth  our  while  to  prevent  diseases  ?  And 
doesn't  this  mean  an  interest  in  sanitation 
and  pure  food  and  good  housing?  One 
does  not  get  very  far  along  in  the  study 
of  social  problems  before  one  runs  upon  a 
moral  principle.  Such  work  is  religious. 
It  isn't  a  thing  separate  and  apart.  It 
is  vitally  related  to  the  deepest  spiritual  ex- 
perience. 

The  Church  has  needlessly  alienated 
sincere    social   workers   because   it   scorned 


To  the  Old  Church  47 

what  these  men  and  women  were  doing  in  be- 
half of  suffering  mankind.  The  social  workers 
have  become  impatient  with  the  Church  be- 
cause its  leaders  have  ridiculed  their  efforts. 
The  average  social  worker  does  not  insist 
that  he  has  offered  the  people  a  substitute  for 
religion.  He  is  content  if  he  can  supplement 
the  efforts  of  the  religious  worker.  That  dis- 
tinctively spiritual  work  has  not  been  done  in 
some  social  settlements  is  no  argument 
against  the  settlement  or  its  workers.  The 
settlement  is  purely  a  socialized  institution, 
organized  primarily  for  social  purposes.  Its 
function  is  social,  just  as  that  of  the  public 
school  is  educational,  and  that  of  the  Church 
moral  and  religious.  And  yet  any  one  of 
these  may  take  on  the  functions  of  the  others, 
and  whether  or  not  it  is  wise  to  do  so,  and  to 
what  extent  it  is  to  be  done,  must  in  all  fair- 
ness be  left  to  the  judgment  of  the  director. 
If  the  Church  insists  that  the  social  settle- 
ment must  take  on  the  functions  of  the 
Church,  then  by  the  same  token  the  settle- 
ment may  insist  that  the  Church  must  take 
on  its  functions.  In  a  peculiar  sense  the 
Church  may  emphasize  spiritual,  social  and 
educational  work.  No  organization  can  do 
this  with  greater  ease  or  better  grace.  To 
the  extent  that  the  Church  will  do  this,  to 


48  The  Call  of  the  New  Day 

that  extent  will  the  Church  enlarge  its  power 
and  influence  and  service. 

Some  there  are  who  seek  to  justify  their 
indifference  to  the  social  situation  by  the 
Scripture  :  "  I  am  determined  to  know  noth- 
ing among  you  save  Jesus  Christ  and  Him 
crucified."  It  is  unfortunate  that  they  have 
narrowed  this  wonderful  text  to  a  mere  theo- 
logical definition.  What  does  Jesus  crucified 
signify,  if  it  does  not  mean  service  and  sacri- 
fice and  suffering  ?  The  exponents  of  social 
service  might  well  take  the  cross  as  an  emblem 
of  their  philosophy,  for  it  is  more  nearly 
typical  of  what  they  believe  than  any  other 
symbol.  The  deepest  meaning  of  the  cross 
finds  its  expression  in  unselfish  devotion  to 
all  the  needs  of  men.  This  is  the  creed  of  the 
social  worker.  It  must  increasingly  become 
that  of  the  Church. 


Printed  in  the  United  States  of  America 


Date  Due 


7.^^ 


Princeton  Thcolog 


cal   Semmary-Speer   Lib.ary 


1   1O12^(K.O09  3286 


